Health anxiety out of control

[JaneS]

Help I think I am going mad! My health anxiety seems to be getting more difficult to control and I am scared I am losing my mind. The day before coming away on holiday I spent 2 hours at the nhs walk in centre to get a breast examination as I felt I couldn't go on holiday without being reassured nothing was wrong. The truth is I hadn't even felt a lump but wanted to make sure my self examination was accurate as I had some tenderness on one side, although I think that is my ribs from a pulling dog! Earlier this year I had a mammogram as I am now of the age to get the regular checks and all was fine. The nurse at the drop in centre gave me a thorough examination and assured me she couldn't feel anything and not to worry, so please tell me why I am sitting here in the sunshine on holiday still worrying! This isn't normal behaviour? I am desperate to get home and see my GP to get him to check me now! It's as if I don't trust what the nurse has told me, she was really lovely. I have had 3 benign lumps removed in the past so I know what a lump feels like and I really can't feel any at the moment but I am going out of my mind and feel like I am going to have a massive panic attack about what I don't know?

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 16:59 ----------

Can anybody help me please?

[Elen]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your problem.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Regards

Elen Admin

[randomforeigner]

When I read your post I'm thinking of a thing I read in this book "How to stop worrying and start living" by Dale Carnegie.

The book starts off:
"Part One - Fundamental Facts You Should Know About Worry
Chapter 1 - Live in 'Day-tight Compartments'.
In the spring of 1871, a young man picked up a book and read twenty-one words that had a profound effect on his future. ... ... ... What, then, was the secret of his success? He stated that it was owing to what he called living in "day-tight compartments." What did he mean by that? ... ... ... 'Ted', he said, 'I want you to think of your life as an hourglass. You know there are thousands of grains of sand in the top of the hourglass; and they all pass slowly and evenly through the narrow neck in the middle. Nothing you or I could do would make more than one grain of sand pass through this narrow neck without impairing the hourglass. ... ... ... 'I have practised that philosophy ever since that memorable day that an Army doctor gave it to me. 'One grain of sand at a time. ... One task at a time.'"

Perhaps you too can decide to push away those thoughts for a while. You can't return now, you intellectually know there's a good chance all is well, and what you feel might have to do with a (mental) scar you got when you removed those three lumps, perhaps in the way someone who has been run over by a car might become afraid of cars? I would like to help but there is nothing I can do other than tell the story of "living in day-tight compartments" (which actually helps a lot). The book is available on the internet so you can perhaps download it and see, if it is something you can use, and doing so might also help push away those other thoughts for a while.

[Noivous]

Hi - HA is tough. It's like one long panic attack. But you are not losing your mind. Racing thoughts are a symptom of high anxiety. It can present as HA or other forms of anxiety. What's going on in your life? Have you recently come out of a long period of high stress? Or are you under intense pressure now? Have you seen a doctor? Are you on medication? Is this new to you? This is the number one thing to remember - you will come out of this. So hang in there.

N.

[JaneS]

Hi Noivous, I am very stressed at the moment with volumes of work and have just gone through 9 months of total house renovation whilst living in and working from home, this time away was an opportunity to relax, but can I? HA is not something new, I have suffered for years with the usual constant visits to my patient GP for one thing or another but somehow recently it's got worse than ever. If I get a symptom it's always worse case scenario and even when told by healthcare professionals there's nothing wrong I still search for more and more opinions and constant reassurances. I am not on any medication for this as such.
Appreciate your reply.

[pulisa]

Hello Jane-I think you need to focus on facts here:

You have been checked over by a competent nurse and she has assured you that all feels normal
You had the all clear from a mammogram earlier this year
You are on holiday and away from your usual reassurance sources
You have been under intense pressure for a prolonged period of time
You are just waiting for something bad to happen health-wise
to wreck your holiday plans

I think it's impossible to just switch off when you first go on holiday-in fact I would expect just the opposite. Your HA is just waiting to kick off as you have time on your hands and time to ruminate on all the what ifs..

Would your GP be able to find a lump when the nurse couldn't? And even you can't feel a lump which makes it very unlikely that one will suddenly spring up in the course of a few days.

I really hope that you will be able to relax a bit over the coming days but I know how hard that is when HA has taken over. You are certainly not going mad but I think your thoughts are playing tricks on you and you need to acknowledge that HA is not going to ruin your hard-earned holiday xx

[JaneS]

Ah thanks Pulisa - great words of advice, I will take them on board and try to get on with enjoying the break and focus on your points.

[pulisa]

I'm certainly no "expert" on this but empathise with your intense anxiety. I really hope you begin to feel more at ease really soon

[dale12345]

Hi - HA is tough. It's like one long panic attack. But you are not losing your mind. Racing thoughts are a symptom of high anxiety. It can present as HA or other forms of anxiety. What's going on in your life? Have you recently come out of a long period of high stress? Or are you under intense pressure now? Have you seen a doctor? Are you on medication? Is this new to you? This is the number one thing to remember - you will come out of this. So hang in there.

N.

Ha is like one long panic attack! I hope your feel better soon.

[JaneS]

Thanks dale12345

[Stena]

You are ok, you are safe and well. Try not to worry and enjoy the break. X